NEWS

AFTER last year's furore about postal voting, concern is high about the possible problems this year.

And one of the early warnings has come from a man who this time last year was in the middle of an election battle.

Garry Cross, a former senior Labour councillor who was thrown out of the party 18 months ago, has still not received his postal ballot despite registering three years ago.

He said: "Surely in this day and age it is not unusual for people to be away for two or more weeks requiring the papers to have been delivered by Thursday, April 21?

"I despair at the system, all the hype of trying to get new people out to vote, but losing the ones who actually want to."

But a council spokesman said there was no delay in ballot papers being sent out and that they could not have been posted until after the candidates were announced last week.

VOTERS in south Warrington may have been a little taken aback this week.

Because walking round the constituency with a yellow rosette saying vote Kennedy was not the Lib Dem leader Charles but independent candidate Paul Kennedy.

And it's not hard to be confused, because his election material has been printed on yellow paper too...

WHAT do you think of when someone says Slough to you?

Ricky Gervais and The Office perhaps, or even a John Betjaman poem?

Well Warrington residents had cause to think this week as UK Independence party officials sent out literature.

Because a number of householders received information not from Warrington's candidates, but from the Slough candidate!

LIBERAL Democrat candidate Ian Marks says it will be impossible to keep his council seat if he wins on May 5.

In contrast to his Tory rival Fiona Bruce, Clr Marks says there is no way you could juggle the job of MP and councillor.

He said: "It would be unfair to constituents at both the Parliamentary and council level."

AND finally ...

Leigh candidate and head of north west Labour Andy Burnham had happy news in Warrington this week.

Because he became a father for the third time when baby Anne-Marie was born at Warrington Hospital on Monday.